


A Visit To Japan

by FantabulousAss



Series: Reconnecting [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alfred and Kiku get drunk, Alfred's boss is an ass, M/M, Politics, Weight Gain, fdt, russia lied, slight political venting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:48:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28034166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantabulousAss/pseuds/FantabulousAss
Summary: Set in 2018, Alfred has recently found out that Ivan has been lying to him and stole some important documents from his files that led to a fraudulent winner in his most recent election. This has caused panic in the White House and Alfred's new boss is demanding Alfred "clean up his image" and sends him to Japan to lose weight. This does not happen because Alfred is an emotional eater and he resents the fact that the man is his boss anyway.
Relationships: America/Japan (Hetalia), America/Russia (Hetalia)
Series: Reconnecting [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2053482
Kudos: 32





	A Visit To Japan

**Author's Note:**

> No politicians are named outright but it's pretty difficult to miss who Alfred's boss is. This is a bit of a vent on my end, using one of my comfort characters to do so.

_“Alfred, I want you to understand this… I find you incredibly, deeply attractive. You have no reason to hide. Not from me.”_

Alfred snorted and mumbled, “and the survey says… that was a fuckin’ lie,” to an empty room as he scrambled to pick up the pieces of his monumental fuck up.

Breaking the news to Intelligence had been tough, but he was definitely glad he hadn’t had to break the news to his boss, who hadn’t had the best reaction, from what he’d heard, not that that was a total surprise, seeing as that meant he was probably going to lose the next election.

He was scrambling to digitize every single piece of paper information he had and protect it under firewall after firewall, using _his own_ , hidden computer programs to hide the files after they were uploaded. He was shredding everything, sure, but he was also building a bonfire out back for the remains.

It was the only thing keeping him sane at the moment, the constant movement, the scramble, the panic. It sounded counter-productive, but it kept him from expanding on what had happened, and he dreaded the moment where it would all stop, and he would be forced to look at what had caused this, and spiral into self-loathing.

The moment came too soon, where the shredder had shredded its last document, and the last thumb drive had been hidden. The silence that started crushing the office made Alfred yearn for the 90’s, when all the equipment had been slow and _loud_ , distracting rather than efficient and smooth. He picked up the stuffed bin and brought it outside, to his fire pit. As he dumped the papers in, and heard the soft _fwoosh_ of the fire devouring them, he sat in his Adirondack chair, elbows resting on his knees, running his hand through his hair, wondering when it was he’d gotten so stupid.

The heat from the fire distracted him from the heat of his tears, streaking down his pudgy face. He didn’t bother to wipe them, knowing now that he’d started, they were going to fall for a while. They weren’t dramatic tears, but it was painful to let them fall. Alfred sighed and opened his phone, fingers so used to going to the same places that he got to Ivan’s text messages through the watery haze of his tears.

Ivan had sent him a few texts, not one of them being an apology, and he could see that Alfred had looked at them, but he had no intention of answering him. He had no intention of speaking to Ivan again after this, unless it was official business and they were surrounded by other people, whether they be other nations or national officials, it didn’t matter.

Ivan had betrayed his trust and broken the one rule they had together. They had both agreed to it, no politics, no work while they were over at each other’s houses, but Ivan had decided to break it. That had probably been his intention the whole time, and the thought of that made Alfred sick to his stomach, that he couldn’t see when someone was lying to him, that he was so desperate for… what? Affection? Praise? That he’d allowed himself to become a liability and a national security breach.

Once the fire died down, sputtering with no substantial fuel, Alfred poured water on it and went back inside to look over his office. It looked so different now that the piles and piles of paperwork were haphazardly thrown into thumb drives. He would deal with sorting them later, could deal with coming up with a system for them later. Now, he looked over the office, the antique wooden desk his state of the art computer sat on, with all of its secret panels and hiding places finally being utilized, wondering, almost, if he should just do away with having an office at all, turn the room into another game room.

It was difficult, deciding what he should do from there. The “right” answer would be to get to work, sort everything out so he would be able to find it… but he had no desire to sift through decades of paperwork. The job was too quiet, too intensive, too much of a trip down memory lane. He dreaded seeing names in that paperwork, of being drawn out of the monotony and back into his current thoughts.

Instead, he turned and went to the kitchen, grabbing a pint of ice cream, disregarding his diet the way he so easily and so often did, and curled up onto his couch, turning on Netflix and digging in.

`~`

He rolled his eyes at his boss’s latest email. It had been full of his usual pomp and pride, with a fair amount of snide comments about his weight, image and fuck-up thrown in.

“Who in the _fuck_ does he think he’s talking to? I am the goddamn United States of America, not some fucking _intern_ who’s been emailing his superior trying to get a date. I’m not a fucking _child_ .” He had half a mind to walk to his boss’s office and tell him everything in person. “You’ve never done _anything_ difficult in your entire _life_ ! Your biggest decision at the end of the fucking day isn’t what you’re doing to _me_ , my _country_ , _my people_ , it’s what fucking McDonald’s burger you’re going to pick apart like a goddamn _psychopath_ and shove in your face!”

He was raking his front yard, glad that he was far enough away from his neighbors that they wouldn’t hear him, even if his enraged ranting reached their properties. He realized that he was gripping the rake so hard he could feel the metal bending beneath his fingertips and he had to stop and put the poor thing down, choosing instead to stop and wipe some of the sweat off his face and glasses.

He had half a mind to kick the pile he’d just raked, just to get some frustration out and to give himself more work to do. He didn’t, though, because he’d only raked around one tree.

His boss had a point, of course, he _had_ put on weight over the summer. However, it wasn’t like it was terribly noticeable. Alfred had been properly fat for the better part of the last two decades and pudgy for the last thirty to fifty years. It bothered him, sure, but not to the same degree that it had during the last world war. He didn’t know why it was such a big deal to his boss if his boss had only ever seen old black and whites of him being trim and thin, especially with the state of the man himself.

Whatever, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to let his idiot boss’s words get under his skin. He had worse things to worry about. In the same email, his boss had said he was sending him to Japan, to stay with Kiku for a while. It wasn’t quite a punishment, but it was clearly an attempt to get Alfred to lose some weight.

It wasn’t like Alfred didn’t enjoy visiting Kiku. Kiku was one of his best friends, and he loved talking to him and playing games and watching movies… Alfred just… wasn’t up for it right now. He was too busy _not caring_ about the fact that he’d gotten broken up with so cruelly that he was finding it really difficult to throw up his nation persona and just… be America around anyone.

He knew, however, that he’d be forced to go if he refused. It was easier to just… go and avoid any more lectures and embarrassment.

`~`

While Alfred loved visiting Kiku, he hated visiting Japan. Everyone was so small and despite the fact that he was definitely not the only American on his flight, he _was_ the fattest person on the flight. He felt every pound of his body shifting and moving as he found his spot. He knew people were staring, happy they weren’t going to be sitting next to him. Luckily for them, he supposed, he had bought all three seats in the row and unless someone had particularly big balls, nobody would have to sit next to him.

The flight was long, but Alfred had brought plenty of entertainment. Ivan hadn’t texted or called, but Alfred read his messages over anyway. He had also purchased in-plane Wi-Fi and played a Japanese version of Words With Friends with Kiku while he flew.

As they played, he realized he hadn’t properly spoken to Kiku in months. They didn’t rely on long conversations, thankfully, so Kiku hadn’t asked. They mostly played dumb little games, some in English, others in Japanese, whatever was most popular at the time, and that was the majority of their time spent together.

This time, however, once Kiku had won a round, he texted Alfred, “I am happy to have you over, Alfred, it’s been a long time.”

Alfred smiled at his screen and sighed. “Yeah it has. Thank you for having me.”

Kiku just sent back an emoji, signaling he was done typing, and wanted to get back to the game. Alfred was happy enough to oblige.

`~`

Kiku struggled to keep his face neutral as he welcomed the jet-lagged American into his home. He had been expecting him, obviously, but he hadn’t expected that Alfred would have put on more weight. Last he’d heard, he’d actually been doing pretty well with his diet and had lost some pounds, so to see so many more piled on his frame had been pretty shocking. He had wondered about the email he’d been sent by his own boss in addition to the email Alfred’s boss had sent him, but now he understood.

Still, he greeted Alfred warmly and showed him inside. “How was the flight?”

Alfred laughed his America laugh, the sound booming through the house. “It was fine, same old same old. Long. A little bumpy.”

Kiku managed a small chuckle. “I am glad to hear it was fine. So… I received an email from your boss.”

Alfred sighed, then, and flushed a little. “Yeah… uh… how much did he tell you?”

“Nothing personal,” Kiku lied, offering him a little smile, “just that he’d like you to reconnect with friendly countries and hoped I could help with some personal health.”

“So he called me a raging fatass and sent me here for fat camp?” When they locked eyes, Alfred couldn’t help but laugh. “Somehow I’m not surprised.”

Though they shared that small laugh, one that was much more _Alfred_ , Kiku knew his friend hadn’t felt like laughing. He had heard news stories, of course, of Russia’s meddling in their election, but it seemed to be more than that. He wanted to know, was dying to ask, but he refrained. He knew Alfred would tell him eventually.

“He is… certainly something, your leader.” He said, trying to help Alfred on to another subject.

“Ugh, Christ. If we could do literally anything but talk about him, I would be super grateful. Back at my place, it’s all him all the time. What’s been going on with you?” As Kiku started talking, all light conversation, no politics, nothing important, Alfred allowed his mind to wander for the moment.

He wished he hadn’t declined the airplane food, he was starving, craving tonkatsu, or really, any kind of rich broth and thick noodles. Comfort food. “I… hate to ask, I know it’s a weird time for food, but… can we…?”

Kiku chuckled. “Of course, Alfred. Let me grab a coat and we’ll head out.”

They continued light conversation all the way to Kiku’s favorite restaurant, teasing slightly here and there. The restaurant was Kiku’s favorite to take Alfred to because the chef was also a man of larger stature, and had never looked at Alfred like he was weird or out of place. It was something small that he pretended not to notice, but genuinely appreciated. They also had huge portions, which the two of them usually split, but this time they each got their own bowls.

“So, uh, I can tell you’re wondering what happened.” Alfred started, after taking his first bite of noodles.

Despite the blush that ran furiously across Kiku’s face, he didn’t waste his breath trying to deny it, “I apologize if it’s rude, but I am, yes.”

Alfred gave him a small smile, one that was him, not America, and shook his head. “It’s not rude, dude. Just… I dunno. Stupid. I feel like an idiot for it. You know Ivan and I were… involved for a while, right?” At Kiku’s nod, he continued. “Well, I thought we were cool, being legit together, but as it turns out…” He brought another clump of noodles up to his face and bit them, face turning melancholy and nearly sad, even as he chewed and swallowed. “As it turns out, I got played. He… well. He went into my files and stole some shit for his boss.”

Kiku’s eyes widened in shock. “I… that’s rough.”

Alfred nodded. “And, well, you know me. I get upset, I shove food at my face, so… Boss’s ticked that somehow I’m ruining his image, like he doesn’t do that well enough himself.” He grabbed an egg slice and ate it. “I know relationships between countries are weird. I know that. I wasn’t expecting a forever relationship, I knew we would eventually break up, but I just can’t see myself ever trusting him again. Not as a person or as a government entity, but who can I really blame for that? Arthur warned me. Yao warned me, everyone warned me, but fuckin’... idiot me, thinking I’m somehow different, he’ll change for me…” He swallowed hard and sighed, “Sorry, Kiku. That’s really personal.”

Kiku reached out his hand and laid it on top of Alfred’s. “You believe in people, Alfred. That is your only mistake. You believed that he had good intentions. That is not a bad thing.”

“I know, but… he’s not the one who suffers for it. Fuck, they’re probably congratulating him and toasting him and erecting a new vodka distillery for him. ‘Woohoo, he fooled the idiot Amerika!’” He put on a terrible Russian accent and rolled his eyes, staring down at his reflection in the oily broth.

Kiku nodded and fell silent.

“Anyway, none of this is your problem. I’m just sorry my boss wants you to kick my ass into shape. That’s not your problem either.” He poked the other egg half and watched the yolk dissolve into the broth.

“Would you come to see me otherwise?” Kiku’s eyes twinkled with mischief, a smart smirk on his face. “Just because you are here for one reason does not mean that that is all you can do while you are here.”

Alfred looked at Kiku and grinned. “Game night?”

“Game _week_.”

`~`

Despite the fact that Kiku was a decent cook, Alfred offered to pay for orders in. Kiku knew this was a recipe for… well, not disaster, since it would hardly be the first time they had done this, but for a decent change in wardrobe.

Two weeks in and Alfred had definitely not lost any weight, and Kiku guessed that he was actually ordering more than he was sharing, as he’d put some more on. Kiku didn’t bring it up, as he knew Alfred was an emotional eater, and knew that if he was sensitive enough to eat in secret, while they were supposed to be sleeping, he definitely wasn’t going to own up to it, so there was really no point talking to him about it.

Kiku himself had put on a few, only ten pounds, fifteen at the most. He was glad Alfred didn’t care, because on Alfred, the same weight only contributed to a slightly heavier step, but Kiku looked chubbier, especially in the belly area. He would lose it quickly, since he tended to overwork himself and forget to eat often enough for it to be an issue.

He noticed, though, that the longer they stayed together, the touchier Alfred got. He had always been touchy, especially for Kiku’s tastes, but since coming out of his relationship, if they watched a movie, they sat closer together, sometimes with Kiku laying on top of Alfred, the blond’s arms wrapped loosely around him as the movie played and they fell gradually asleep. If they were playing video games, Alfred would take precious seconds during tense moments to push Kiku over, hoping he would lose.

It was… nice. Different, for sure, but very nice.

On Alfred’s second to last night there, they decided to drink and play physical video games, like Dance Dance Revolution. It was fun, fuzzy and wild, all until Alfred tried to kiss Kiku.

They had flirted, in the past, had their share of wild nights, but this… didn’t feel right. Well, that wasn’t quite true. It felt right, and Kiku would love to share the night with Alfred before he had to go back home and they went back to their barely-talking relationship. As selfish as he could seem during meetings, Alfred was a soft, sweet lover, who loved to cuddle and be classically romantic, making breakfast and maybe going a second round once they’d replenished their calories.

Despite the look on Alfred’s red face, he stopped him from going any farther. “No, Alfred. No.” Alfred’s hand resting on his hip, thumb tracing the new bulge of pudge around his hips and lower belly, felt _nice_ and he hated pushing him away, but Alfred wasn’t himself. He’d regret this in the morning, Kiku knew, so he pushed his friend away.

He almost regretted it when Alfred’s sunshine face went cloudy, pinky-redness from intoxication deepening into dark red humiliation until he was backing away himself, warm hand leaving a cold spot on Kiku’s hip. “Sorry. I’m sorry. That was stupid.”

Kiku, his tongue stupid and thick in his drunk mouth, shook his head no. No, it wasn’t stupid, hell, if they weren’t drunk, Kiku would probably go through with it, but… no.

They both went to bed then, each feeling weirdly distant from the other, Alfred finding tears falling all too easily. The alcohol let him cry freely, where he’d been too stubborn to cry over stupid little things, before.

He remembered the way Ivan had looked at him, so fondly, so many times, and wondered if that had just been a trick of the light or a clever lie. Ivan hadn’t been good at faking emotions other than joy. His face was a wide open book, or so Alfred had thought. When they’d been together, the way his hands would travel over Al’s body made him shiver, made him feel appreciated, but now the memory of those touches felt wrong, disrespectful. They felt like little insults, peppered along his wobbly, stretchmarked body.

He palmed his belly, pinching and playing with it, paying attention to the way it felt as it wobbled. He’d been fine with the extra weight, in a subjective way, for years, but had never allowed himself to see what he’d thought Ivan had seen. It was soft, sure, but a different type of soft than it was when he’d lost a bit of weight. The skin felt just a tad tighter. It was hard to recognize when all he did was quickly wash his body, keeping his hands as far from anything remotely chubby as he could.

Alfred turned on his side and felt his stomach nestle itself on the bed beside him. Ivan had liked to put one of his massive fucking hands right on Alfred’s belly button, arm resting gently on one of Alfred’s thick love handles, feeling his breaths slow and warm stomach as it digested their dinner-date meal.

He would miss that, he knew. Despite the mental anguish and the professional panic he’d already put himself through, it hardly felt like they had broken up. They could never spend much time together, as they were both decently busy helping guide the strongest nations in the world, but when they were able to spend time together, it was weeks on end, casually existing together in each others’ homes, being sweet and domestic when they weren’t having sex or play fighting for dominance. Alfred still had Ivan’s house key in his wallet. Ivan had his. It felt so weird that they still had such integral parts of the other and yet… they were no longer together. The trust they’d built together over nearly a decade was just… gone. Broken.

Alfred couldn’t sleep, mind racing. Kiku couldn’t sleep either, apparently, because he came into the bedroom not long after Alfred had stopped playing with his belly and got into bed with him, getting close and breathing Alfred’s stale, alcohol-tinged breath. “Nothing is going to happen tonight.” Kiku mumbled.

Kiku felt so small and Alfred felt so huge. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, after so many years being the smaller spoon, it did feel a good kind of different to hold Kiku’s little body against his own, even if he hated feeling like he was so much bigger than the rest of the world.

They drifted off to sleep together, neither bringing anything up in the morning when they untangled themselves from the other.

With the bright light of a sober morning, Alfred made breakfast and thanked Kiku for stopping him. “It wouldn’t have been right.” He explained as he scrambled salted and peppered eggs.

Kiku just smiled warmly back at his friend’s serious face. When their eyes connected, Alfred’s cheeks pinkened and he went back to the eggs, dumping them unceremoniously into a pan. “Hey, uh… how do you do that twisty egg thing?”

`~`

On the plane, Alfred finally texted Ivan. _I’m coming over to get my key and to give yours back. That’s it._

Russia looked at the text with surprise evident on his face. He knew there really wasn’t a point to answering, but he did. _It will be nice to see you._

_I have another plane to catch right after. My plane arrives at XX:XX. If you won’t be home, leave my key outside and I’ll leave yours under the mat. I fucking mean it, Russia, this isn’t a fun little house call. We’re over. These are the last strings that need tying._

Ivan wasn’t sure what that meant, but he closed his phone and placed Alfred’s key outside. As it happened, he was on his way to a meeting and would be on his way back home thirty minutes after Alfred got in. He doubted, however, that the two of them seeing each other would go well, so he decided to make himself scarce.


End file.
